Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe’s recent comments on The Roy Green Show have been the talk of the town.
Premier Moe was a guest on the radio show on Nov. 7, 2021, the day after a Saskatchewan Party Convention on Saturday at TCU Place in Saskatoon.
“I think you’re going to see provinces like Saskatchewan — we (had) our convention yesterday and had passed a motion specific to this — to really start to expand our provincial autonomy,” said Premier Moe on The Roy Green Show.
“We’re really starting to feel the differences between Saskatchewan and where our federal government is heading, is we’re actually, at this point in time … more like a nation within Canada.”
Premier Moe responded to reporters after Tuesday’s Saskatchewan legislative question period when he was asked what he meant by his “nation within nation” comment.
“We’ve been very open on our quest to flex our provincial’s muscles and to really increase the autonomy that we have in this province of Saskatchewan,” he said.
He emphasizes the need for Saskatchewan to expand the need to “take control of our own destiny” regarding some federal government policies.
Ken Coates, professor of public policy at the University of Saskatchewan, said Premier Moe made it very clear that he favours greater autonomy but not separation.
“What’s interesting about the nation-to-nation concept is that he pulled up a language that has always been used by Quebec,” said Coates.
“It’s very unique to hear a non-Francophone premier talking about the same sort of thing and using the language of nationhood. I think it’s a real stretch.”
Coates added Saskatchewan is a very diverse province and that is has become the heartland for Canadian conservatism. He argued that what we’re seeing is a federal state that is getting weaker rather than a federal state that is getting stronger.